- Larry Nance Jr. took a shot at the Orlando Magic for their $50,000 donation to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
- DeSantis had drawn criticism for his comments on African Americans benefiting from slavery
- Orlando Magic’s sponsorship by Disney came to light after their donation
New Orleans Pelicans star Larry Nance Jr. called out the Orlando Magic for supporting the presidential bid of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
The forward/center took to Twitter to share his thoughts on how a Magic franchise, predominantly filled with Black roster and personnel could support DeSantis who had earlier made a controversial remark on slavery as a benefit. The team had donated $50,000 to his super PAC.
“So the @OrlandoMagic who have a majority black roster, a black head coach, and a black GM decided it was a good idea to support a man that claims that slavery had personal benefits for the enslaved?”
So the @OrlandoMagic who have a majority black roster, a black head coach, and a black GM decided it was a good idea to support a man that claims that slavery had personal benefits for the enslaved? https://t.co/LI3FAXbMxb
— Larry Nance (@Larrydn22) August 2, 2023
Nance Jr.’s comments on the back of the new education standards of how Black history is being taught in Floria schools that DeSantis signed into. The revised guidelines that has the country in an uproar required instructors to teach middle school children that “slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.”
And the Governor had doubled down on this with an analogy. According to The Washington Post, his thoughts sparked scathing criticism.
“They’re probably going to show that some of the folks that eventually parlayed, you know, being a blacksmith into doing things later in life.”
The GOP presidential candidate, at the time of writing, is behind in polls against former POTUS Donald Trump, and is planning to get his campaign back on track. His latest comment, however, caused massive outrage from educators and even members of his own party. The Post’s report added that DeSantis’ remarks “could alienate Black voters.”
With that in mind, and with Orlando Magic in focus, it is rather unusual for a professional sports franchise to make the kind of donation, the move from the ream to contribute to ‘Never Back Down’, the group that supports DeSantis’ campaign for the Republican nomination did not sit well with the masses, and Nance Jr. was one of the many who shared his thoughts on the matter.
Earlier, SFGATE’s Alex Shultz took to Twitter to share his views on the team’s donation, sharing an image of the contribution made by the team to the NBD group. To which, a Knicks writer Tommy Beer responded with a screengrab about Disney’s extended agreement with the Magic last year.
Worth noting that Disney has paid millions to the Magic to be the team’s official jersey sponsor since 2017.
They announced an extended agreement last year https://t.co/2hyOtMbunF pic.twitter.com/zBiYZyrxAS
— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) August 2, 2023
As part of a “multi-year agreement” with Disney, the Magic team jersey features a 2.5 in x 2.5 in Disney logo on the front of their uniform.
This means the team just donated $50,000 to DeSantis’ campaign while also taking sponsorship money from Disney – which has been at loggerheads with DeSantis after the former pushed back against his “Don’t Say Gay” legislation.
The basketball organization has donated to political campaigns before. In 2005, it offered $500 to a Democratic House campaign and $2,000 to Maverick PAC USA in 2014. Prior to DeSantis, the Magic donated $500 to Conservative Results in 2016.
Only time will tell how this impacts Disney and the NBA franchise’s relationship. But for now, it shouldn’t be surprising to see more players like Nance Jr. express displeasure with the team’s move.
As far as their on-court performances go, this past season hasn’t been the greatest for the franchise, as they finished 13th in the East with a 34-48 record. They last made the playoffs in the 2019-20 season and were eliminated by the Milwaukee Bucks.
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